For many Spokane residents living on fixed incomes, hiring a lawyer simply isn’t financially possible. But a decades-long partnership between Gonzaga University School of Law and Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington is helping older adults access the legal support they might otherwise go without.

“Most of our clients live off a pretty low Social Security fixed amount and some only on SSI,” says Genevieve Mann, associate professor at Gonzaga's law school and director of its Elder Law Clinic. “You can’t hire a lawyer with that income situation.”

The Elder Law Clinic supports a variety of legal needs, from planning for the future to addressing immediate challenges that could threaten the stability of everyday life.

“We do a lot of typical estate planning,” Mann says. “We do wills, power of attorney, and health care directives for clients.”

The clinic also has the capacity to support urgent issues that could affect a person’s housing or financial security.

“Most of our clients are losing their housing or losing public benefits or trying to resolve a deed issue so they can keep the house they’re living in,” Mann says. “We just try and be really responsive to what people come to us needing.” 

The Elder Law Clinic has remained a steady resource for Spokane residents due to grant funding administered through Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington. Legal services are provided at no cost for qualifying clients, with only small fees for filing or recording documents.

“We’ve had a grant through the Older Americans Act that is administered through (Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington) for 40 years,” Mann says. 

Because the program only requires that clients be at least 60 years old and live in Spokane County, it can assist those who might not qualify for other legal aid programs with stricter income limits, she says.

The Elder Law Clinic also provides law students with hands-on experience under the guidance of licensed attorneys, giving them the chance to work directly with clients while learning essential legal skills.

“In essence, we have a law firm as part of the law school at Gonzaga,” Mann says. “They interview clients, they draft documents, and they do anything that lawyers do under the supervision of the supervising attorneys that direct each clinic.”

Over the last five years, Mann says she has noticed an increase in students who are drawn to elder law, in part due to an interest in helping people in the community.

“I supervise everything they do in terms of reviewing every document they're doing,” Mann says. “I really think that in many ways the clients get the best of both worlds in terms of a very eager, enthusiastic student who's working hard and then a lawyer also overseeing everything they do.”

This supervision ensures that clients receive reliable legal guidance while the clinic also benefits the broader community, helping individuals navigate complex systems and resolve pressing legal issues. At the same time, law students gain practical, hands-on experience that prepares them for future legal careers.

“The impact is pretty amazing,” says Erin Williams, accounting and contracts director for Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington. “Elder law is a bigger subset or specialty for law students, especially with the population continuing to grow.”

Access to legal guidance can make a significant difference for individuals facing difficult decisions related to the cost of living. 

“When people face issues that affect their housing, health care, or financial stability, (the Elder Law Clinic) really ensures that they have access to help when they need it most,” Williams says. “Without partnerships like this, the system doesn’t work right.”

With many legal needs relating to end-of-life planning, Mann emphasizes the importance of people preparing ahead of time and communicating wishes with loved ones while they're still able to do so.

“It's not as clean a moment as people think,” Mann says. “So it's really important that people around you know what matters to you. Do you want to have more surgeries? Do you want to have more treatments? What does good look like at the end?” 

Without those conversations, she says, loved ones are often left unsure of how to honor a person’s wishes.

“Unfortunately, people just don't really talk about that, and then their loved ones are left not knowing and not being able to help effectuate someone's wishes,” Mann says. “So get your documents done and talk to the people you love about the end of your life.”

Mann says she hopes more people across Spokane become aware that the resource exists, particularly those who may not typically seek legal services.

“I'd love for us to really diversify, you know, who comes in our doors and hears about us,” she says. “I'm definitely trying to make sure we're available to all communities in Spokane. Communities of color, immigrant communities, and folks who maybe haven't heard about us.”

Seniors who want guidance on which programs they qualify for can contact Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington’s Community Living Connections team where staff can help determine eligibility for services and provide information to navigate legal, housing, health care, and other support programs available to older adults in Spokane County.